Pinwheel Place
Overview
Pinwheel Place is a non-profit organization in Eatontown, NJ that was formed to protect children's potential exposure to abuse, neglect or trauma, by giving parents the time and guidance necessary to resolve issues they are facing. Facing a crisis without support can be more than even a well-meaning parent can handle. Caring for the children while helping parents will make families safer now and in the future. They help the families by providing a home-like environment for the children to stay in while the parents take care of their crisis, while coordinating services that will be helpful to the children and their families
Duties
- Childcare and activities
- Assistance with events and fundraisers
- Managing social media
- Utilizing any special talents of the volunteer
Requirements
- Application
- Interview
- Background check and fingerprinting (usually paid for by volunteer, although organization will pay if not affordable to volunteer)
How to Apply
Interested students can contact Assistant Director Quadhera Simmons (contact below); please mention you are a Monmouth psychology student
Contact Information
Quadhera Simmons
Assistant Director
qsimmons@pinwheelplace.org
Student Feedback
My days at Pinwheel Place always looked different. For the days those children were there, my main task was childcare. I would spend all my time with the children. But when there were no children there, I struggled to get hours. I was only given remedial tasks that I finished so quickly. Such as making an Instagram post about a promo going on. Because of this I learned patience, communication, to take my time, and to advocate for myself. I did a lot of research on my own to fill hours. Such as listening to podcasts or watching documentaries about trauma informed care and childhood adversity. Pinwheel Place was enjoyable when there were always children to care for. Every Monday a child would be coming in and I knew my tasks. The least enjoyable was when that child no longer came to Pinwheel Place. I was left in the dark some days with no hours. I was given tasks such as making social media posts or research and I would only be getting an hour a week sometimes two tops. A student who would fit in here is someone with a lot of free time. Someone who can go multiple days a week to get an average of 4 hours. Someone who is very patient and go with the flow. When looking for places to apply I would go where it calls you.
Find something you think you really want to do and look for a placement in that field.
~Charly Cushing, Fall '21
As an intern at Pinwheel Place, some of my daily duties included caring for the children, creating posts for social media, and conducting my own research. One of the skills I learned at this internship was how to become more trauma informed. In working with these children, you never know what their background is or what their home-life is like, so it is important to be sensitive to all situations. There were many aspects of my internships that I enjoyed, such as the connection made with the children, the friendly atmosphere, the opportunity to work with my supervisor, and creating social media posts. However, there were aspects that were not so enjoyable as well. For example, there was not a consistent group of children coming into the program, which was my main duty as an intern. As a result, there was a shortage of work for me to do, making it difficult to complete my hours. I believe the type of student that would be the best fit for this site would be someone who is passionate about working with children and giving back to their community. It is important that you are comfortable working with and caring for children, and it would be helpful if you would like to work with children in the future.
~Allie Grauer, Fall '21
Have you interned here? Add your feedback to help other students by emailing [Goodwin].